Roku launches The Roku Channel in the UK

LONDON — Roku, Inc. today announced the arrival of “The Roku Channel” in the UK, a streaming channel providing consumers with free access to 10,000+ movies, TV episodes and documentaries. There are no subscriptions, fees or logins required to access The Roku Channel. The Roku Channel is available starting today to consumers with a Roku® streaming player, Roku TV, NOW TV device or Sky Q box.

The Roku Channel in the UK features a selection of popular global and British TV series, including titles such as Homes Under the Hammer, The Commander, Ultimate Force, Fifth Gear, Skins and Britain’s Best Bakery, alongside Hollywood hits such as Get Carter, The Wicker Man and Les Miserables.

“With The Roku Channel we are making it easy for consumers to find great free entertainment and provide additional value to Roku users, NOW TV device holders and Sky Q customers,” said Rob Holmes, Vice President of Programming at Roku. “Ad-supported viewing is one of the fastest growing categories on our platform and we are excited to meet the consumer demand for free TV.”

Users of The Roku Channel will enjoy a variety of features that makes it easy for them to find and watch a broad range of content, including personalized recommendations and in channel search capabilities on Roku and NOW TV devices. Users will also find a special Kids & Family section, making it easy for children and parents to find kids entertainment for free in one, easy-to-access destination. All entertainment within Kids & Family is hand-picked and suitable for children. There is also a character row, helping parents and kids find the show they want to watch. Titles in Kids & Family at launch include Bob the Builder, Teletubbies, Oddbods, Bernard, Ryan’s World Specials, Fireman Sam and Baby Einstein Classics.

The Roku Channel helps existing publishers on the Roku platform as well as new publishers to drive additional viewership of their entertainment. The Roku Channel in the UK features over 40 content partners, including All3Media International, EndemolShine Group, FilmRise, pocket.watch and DRG, plus Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Television. More publishers are expected to be added over time.